The Heroic Epic of Medieval EuropeMythology, History, Poetics, Problems of Comparative Studies: Monograph

The book comprehensively explores one of the important genres of medieval European literature – the heroic epic. The first part examines the initial manifestations of the European epic tradition (archaic epics) - the Celtic (Irish) epic, the ancient Germanic poem "The Song of Hildebrand", the Scandinavian "Elder Edda", the sagas and the Finnish "Kalevala", associated with the mythological and historical environment of their origin and formation. The second part examines classic European epics: the French "Song of Roland", the Spanish "Song of the Side" and the German "Song of the Nibelungenlied". In the third part, the epic is considered from the point of view of comparative studies. Firstly, as a result of the combination of components that form the basis of the genre – mythology, history and poetry - and then factors that influence each other in epics as national cultures. As necessary, parallels are drawn between European epics and the Armenian epic "Sasna Tsrer". The book concludes with a study of the further development and interaction of the European epic and literature.